


Love Is To Be Made

by annetheseamaiden



Category: The Sunne in Splendour - Sharon Kay Penman, The White Queen (TV)
Genre: Belligerent Sexual Tension, Childhood Friends, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Unresolved Emotional Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-19
Updated: 2014-10-27
Packaged: 2018-02-21 19:31:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2479832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annetheseamaiden/pseuds/annetheseamaiden
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"We have always been much more than that. I don’t want to be your friend, nor your adoptive sister. I don’t want to hold you anymore like that. I want to love you."</p><p> </p><p>On New Year's Eve, Richard finds himself against the wall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

**_December 31, 2024, 10:23pm_ **

“All I want to do is be with you. As long as I can remember I have been in your arms. Me against your chest while you rest your chin in my head. When I am with you, that is the only thing I know how to do. I love being with you. It comes natural to me. I do not want to be your friend, Richard.” Anne did not know from where this kind of courage had come, “We have always been much more than that. I don’t want to be your friend, nor your adoptive sister. I don’t want to hold you anymore like that. I don’t want to pretend that you didn’t sneak to my bedroom during the nights. Or that you did break into my room when I was sent to boarding school just to spend the night with me. I do not want to forget–”

Anne found herself crying, “When I am with you I want to kiss you. I want to love you. I don’t want to know that it was all for nothing.”

The way Anne had cornered him frighten him.

“Don’t do this here.” Richard said as he pushed her away, “I am back on good graces with them.”

“You care about that?” Anne asked, “I am so stupid!”

“You are not.” Richard said as he pulled her towards him.

“Yes, I am. You told that me that you will tell me today. Be–”

“The day isn’t over yet. I have an hour to–”

“Ten years.” Anne said, “I want to know if I have wasted ten years of my life.”

“I wont rush this.” Richard whispered, “I wont and you wont make me.”

Anne couldn’t contain neither her anger, nor her hand. She had slapped him so hard across the face that had made his cheek red.

“You are a crazy bitch!” Richard gasped as he rubbed his cheek.

In Anne’s eyes, after all they had gone through, he was now making her wait like this. It was typical of him. All she wanted was a simple yes, or a no. She wanted to move on with her life. She wanted know if he wanted to be in her life. Otherwise, she would have to say to him goodbye.

“I think I got my answer.” Anne said as she tried to hold in her tears.

“I don’t understand you.” Richard said.

“I do not understand you!” Anne cried, “I am not going to wait for you forever.”

“Where are you going?” He asked her when he saw her grab her purse, “Anne don’t make a scene?

“I promise I wont.” Anne said with cynicism in her voice, “They wont even know that I left.”

Anne had always had a quick pace. Ever since they were young, he had trouble keeping up with her. He looked down and sighed.

“You should follow her you moron.” Richard looked back and saw his pregnant sister, Meg with a soda in her hand.

“You are calling me a moron now?” He asked her. 

“Well, you are behaving like a jerk and a schoolboy.”

“You either try or wonder what if!” Meg said as she rubbed her baby, “I was thinking in naming this one after her if it is a girl. You’llhave this one haunting you if you decide not to follow her.”

“But what if I ruin it?”

“Then you ruined it.” Meg smiled, “At least you tried, Dickon.”

“Mom and–”

“Dad just thinks what Mom thinks. She will be fine.You are her little Richard after all.”

“She will never forgive me.” Richard sighed.

“Which one?” Meg asked.

“Both.” He sighed.

“You are wrong. Anne will never forgive you for that. You know her more than we all do. I don’t mean it like the way you are thinking. You know that she can hold deadly grudges. Dp you really want her to hate you?”

Richard looked down and started to cry, wishing they had met under different circumstances.

“I promise I will help you with Mother.”

“She will never forgive me.”

“Will you forgive yourself? Imagine her pregnant like I am now.”

“She would make a lovely mother.” Richard sighed.

“But it wont be your baby. It would be someone’s baby. Not yours. Someone else will love her during the nights. She will cuddle with someone else. She will bury her face against someone else’s chest while she watches a horror movie.”

“Stop it!” Richard said with his eyes watery.

“It is now or never. I heard everything, and you should have been the one saying those words to her. You, not her.”

“Shut up!”

“She gave you until midnight. She left, but she is still giving you until midnight.”

 


	2. July 16th, 2014

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edward = 18 Isabel= 16  
> Edmund=17 Anne= 15  
> Margaret=16   
> George =15   
> Richard =14

**_July 16th, 2014_ **

 

This was the first time they traveled without their parents. The first time that they took a plane on their own. The fear was slowly consuming both girls.

 Isabel’s eyes were puffy and red. Tears occasionally running through her eyes. She felt alone. All she wanted was to talk to Anne.

Isabel tilted her head to the side, and saw Anne. Her face showed no emotion. Her face was cold and icy. During the whole flight, she looked to her front. Anne was in shock. She had not said a word or shed a tear since the funeral of her parents.

“Would you mind opening the window?” Isabel asked Anne. 

Anne blatantly ignored her continuing to look at the head of the bald man in her front.

“It wont be home, Anne. I am sure that we will end up liking it. We always wanted to live in New York. Do you remember?”

Again, no answer. All Isabel wanted was to hear Anne’s sweet voice.

“At least please say hello to them when we land.” Isabel advised her, “It would be rude if you do not talk to them. At least smile, or nod. They are opening their home to us. They are what Mama and Papa wanted for us.”

Again, there was no respond from Anne. Complete and utter silence from her part.

“Cecily will want to hug you. You know she is a hugger. So is Richard. They are both very tender. We’ll share the guest room for the moment. Edmund will share with Edward, and Richard with George since Margaret has her own room, Cecily decided to give us Edmund and Richard’s room to us. It is temporary. Anne, are you listening to me?”

Anne was listening to her, but as before, she did not answered.

Isabel did not know what to do. All she wanted was to let her sister know that she was there. That she was feeling it too, the pain. 

Anne was holding on to the old times. She was holding to her parents being alive. What made Anne angry was that she did not waved them goodbye before they took their train. In her head, it was her fault. If she had gone to the station maybe her hug would have blessed the, and they would be alive.

When the plane landed and the walked out of the gate, they quickly saw Richard and Cecily who were waiting for them. Mr. York helped them with their luggage while Cecily pulled both girls into a hug, promising them that they would be okay with them. Isabel smiled and said thanks, but Anne did not. 

She just looked at Cecily and sighed, tilting her head to the side rolling her eyes. For Isabel, that was a step from Anne’s part. Cecily decided to ignore it. She was not going to scold her now. Maybe later, but not now.

 

* * *

 

 

At the York house, the boys were ordered to keep still until they arrived. George was the second youngest of the boys. He was fifteen, and had discovered the wonders that his hands could do. He did not liked the idea of sharing his room with his younger brother, Richard. Richard was not pleased, but for another reason. George was always leaving his things around. His socks on the living room, his phone sometimes on the fridge. When the house smelled ‘funny’, Cecily would go to George’s room first. Last time, therewas a pizza box that he had left under his bed with some crusts inside.

Richard was feeling already sick. 

“Hypochondriac.” Edward called him.

“Can I sleep with you Meg?” Richard asked his sister who pushed him away. 

“I’ll clean–”

“Weren’t you all super friend with Anne last summer?” Edmund asked, “Maybe she’ll let you sleep with her.”

“You are such a pervert.” Margaret sighed as she pulled her baby brother back to her, “Richard isn’t like you, Edmund.”

“Would it be incest?” Edmund asked.

“Can you get your mind out of the gutter?” Edward asked as he slapped the back of his brother’s head, “And it wouldn’t be. Just wait a few years. Until we are all out of the house.”

Edward winked at his blushing fourteen year old brother.

“Are you serious?” Margaret asked as an embarrassed Richard stood up from the sofa, “Where are you doing?” 

“Why do they,” Richard started as he pointed at Edmund and Edward, “have the need to compulsively tease me with all the girls that are my friends?” Richard asked, “They just lost their parents. Can you imagine what they are feeling like now? Imagine Mom and Dad dead? None of us would ever make it.”

“Someone is a little touchy.” Edmund teased.

“Stop it! They are to be our sisters now. Our family. Our friends.”

“Stop it, Edmund.” Margaret said as she threw a pillow at him, “He is just a little boy!” She added when Richard went outside.

“He is fourteen, Meg. He isn’t an angel.”

“He is our baby brother. Give him the respect that he deserves.”

“What is it with you?” Edmund asked, “Are you on your days?”

Meg looked at him making instantly regret what he had said.

“Really?” Margaret asked, “I will not be the only girl around, Edmund. You’ll have Mom, Isabel, Anne and your baby sister. You better not say such things.”

“Okay, I wont.”

“What is it with him?” George asked, “I was not here last summer.”

“Last year, he was glued to youngest one. Like by the hip.” Edward started, “If she would jump, he jumped and hurt his knee. If she was hungry, he was starving. If she wanted sea food, he took a benadryl, had his EpiPen near because he wanted sea food too. It was kind of cute,” Edward said, “in a geeky, nerdy, virgin, preadolescent kind of way.”

“Would you two stop it?” Meg asked, “He is already weird. He is clingy, and you will make him behave more awkward than he already behaves.”

“I am not awkward!” Richard yelled to Meg as he entered back, “You all embarrass me. She is was my friend!”

“Was?”

Richard was going to say something to Edmund and Edward, but he got distracted by the car that parked up front.

“They are here. Will it kill you both of you to act normal?”

“Will it kill you?” Edmund asked.

The five of them walked to the door and went down the porch. George pushed Richard and Edward out of the way, to open the door to his Mother.

“I will kill him in his sleep!” Richard said under his breath.

“If you need a helping hand, I will hold him down for you.”

“We could drown him in the lake. That way I will have the room for myself. When we were watching that show last week, they said that water destroys evidence.”

“You need to stop watching those TV shows little brother. “ Edward said making him laugh, “And I am sorry. For teasing you. You are the sensible one of us. You have the empathy and decency that Ed and I don’t have.”

“Edward and Richard! Don’t stand there like statues. Help unloading the luggage.”

Both of them stood up and went on helping his brothers, but before doing so, Richard waved Isabel and Anne hello. Isabel smiled at him, but Anne ignored him as she started to feel anxious.

Isabel smiled at Margaret who received her with a hug.

“I am so sorry!” Margaret said, making Isabel sigh and say, “Thanks.”

“I hope that you guys feel comfortable with us. I know that with us is really crowded. The boys, they will behave. They always do.”

“We don’t mind.” Isabel chuckled before turning to Anne, “Don’t we, Anne?”

Anne looked at her sister, and showed her the watery eyes that she had been trying so hard to maintain tearless.

Anne shook her head, and began to have trouble to breath. 

“I –” Anne stammered as she first spoke since the funeral of her parents.

Margaret called her Mother who was scolding Richard and Edmund because of how the threw to the ground the girl’s luggages.

“Let’s go inside.” Cecily said as she placed her arms around her, not expecting Anne to push her away and run to her sister.

“The guest-room, right?” Isabel asked her as she wrapped her arms around Anne.

“Yes, the guest room.”

Margaret followed them, and helped Isabel turn on the lights on and the A.C.

“I’ll leave you alone. We are here for the two of you. I am right next door.”

“Thanks Margaret.” Isabel said before Margaret left the room. Isabel guided Anne to the bed, and helped her get out of her shoes. 

“I am sorry!” Anne cried.

“It is okay. I am here, okay. Come here.” Isabel said jumping next to Anne, “You have nothing to be sorry about. Okay?”

“I was mean to you.”

“I know, but I don’t mind. You are my baby sister, Anne. We only have each other now. We’ll take care of each other. I’ll promise. When I turn eighteen, I’ll be your guardian. In two years we will do as you want.” Isabel said only making Anne pull her sister closer.

“Cry, Annie. Cry your eyes away.Crying helps.”

“Stay with me, Isabel.” Anne cried as Isabel kissed the top of her sister’s head.

“I am going nowhere, Anne. You are stuck with me. I can assure me.”

“I don’t hate you, Isabel.” Anne cried as she looked up intoher sister’s eyes, “I love you. I didn’t mean to hit you.”

“I know, Annie. I know!” Isabel sighed, “Now rest. I’ll stay here with you. I promise.”

 


	3. Chapter 3

The curiosity of knowing how Isabel and Anne were truly doing was killing Cecily. Anne had become glued to Isabel for three days now, ever since they arrived. 

Isabel did not mind. She wanted to be closer to Anne. They spend the first three days in bed, watching TV. Isabel only went downstairs to eat, while Anne preferred to eat on bed. However, Cecily felt as if she was doing something wrong. She would go to see the girls and they would look at her, smile, sighed and then look to the TV while their hands were in the bowl of M&Ms her had bought them.

“I wish I could talk to them.” Cecily said to her husband, “Especially Anne. She is so young.”

“They will come to you, darling. To us.”

“It is driving me crazy. Anne has not said a word to me.”

“Nor has she spoken to me. You do remember, Anne. She has always been a peculiar girl. Isabel too.”

“Isabel is older, and they are going to understand each other.” Richard said as he got into bed, “They’ll be fine. They will have a family with us, not a blood one, but in Richard’s honour, I will be sure that they ask me to walk them down the aisle when they get married.”

“Poor little Anne. I still see her face when I saw her crying. She wants no one but Isabel.”

“They understand each other. They are sisters and only them know how it feels.”

Richard York was not wrong. 

When Anne spoke to Isabel, Isabel felt as she was being understood. A knock on the door made Isabel sigh, and ask who was it.

“Can I come in?” It as young Richard York.

Isabel looked at Anne who shook her head, “No!”

“It is Richard. He just wants to see how we are doing. You have not spoken to him.” Isabel said as she pushed her sister’s hair to the back of her ear, “Come in Richard!”

The awkward fourteen year old entered with a tray on his hands.

“What do you have there?” Anne said, surprising Isabel but making her glad.

“Snickers. I know you are a Snickers’ junkie.”

A smiled formed in Anne’s lips as she straightened her back to rest against the headboard. She leaned over as he hopped into bed and saw candy bars and three sandwiches.

“Pepper Jack sandwich with a lot of ham, spinach and tomatoes. I know you like walnuts, Isabel. I also read that they make you happier and energetic.”

“Thank you Richard!” Isabel smiled, “That’s really kind of your part.”

“Margaret was coming, but I got her to do the cleaning for me. Then, Mom put her to do something.”

Richard looked at Anne and gave her a gentle smile as she opened the chocolate bar and began to eat it. Richard sat besides Anne and rested his head on her shoulder.

“Is it tasty?” Richard asked Isabel who was taking a bite of the sandwich.

“It is. Thanks Richard.”

“I was supposed to be setting up your beds, but I got off because I said that my back pain came back.”

“Your Mom believed it?” Isabel asked.

“Of course she did. She always falls for that.”

“Do you want to play checkers, Anne?” Richard asked.

“No. I want to watch this show.”

“He ends up banging his niece and then he–”

“Does he dies?” Anne asked, making Richard close his eyes in regret. The last thing he wanted to talk about was of death.

“He does. But he is happy with his wife. Do you guys want to do something other than watching this show? Anne, I could help you fix your room.”

“Are they ready?” Isabel asked.

“Annie’s bed and bookshelves are. It is not as spacious as your room was, but I think it is pretty comfy. Come. You have been in bed since you came. Have you showered?”

“Of course I have. I am not you. You smell like–”

“I only mean it because I have not sen you come out of the room. You smell nice. You both do.”

“Yeah. He’s right. If your room is ready to be set go on. I’ll follow you with my walnuts.”

“Does he really sleeps with his niece?” Anne asked suddenly to Richard who gave her a fresh smile, “I don’t blame him. The girl was hot.”

“You are a pig.” Anne chuckled as she continued to chew her candy.

“Come on. Let’s get you out of bed. Tell me what you did on your birthday.” Richard said as he pulled the sheets away from her.

“Can I at least eat my sandwich?” Anne asked him as she slapped his hand away from the M&Ms bowl between her sister and herself.

“You are eating a snicker!” Richard pointed out.

“I don’t care!” Anne said as she pushed him away, “Could you be useful and bring us something to drink?”

“Are you back ordering me around?” Richard asked her as he pushed her hair back again, just as Isabel had done.

“I’ll get it!” Isabel sighed realizing that Richard would only talk and talk and talk until Anne laughed out loud.

“I want water.” Anne sighed as she coughed.

“Are you not going to cry?” Richard asked her after Isabel went away.

“I am not crying.”

“But you were yesterday. I heard you. Do you still consider me your friend?” Richard asked her as he pulled her towards him into a hug.

“Of course you are my friend.” Anne said as she buried her face in his shoulder, “You are like the brother I never had.”

“I am flattered, I could say that, but I have a sister. So I cannot say that I wish that I had a sister like you. I have Meg. She is like you, a lot. Maybe if you were my little– but you are older than me so. No.”

“Am I now your adoptive sister?” Anne asked him interrupting him.

“Yeah!” Richard smiled, “Does this means that I can tease you as much as I tease Meg? We are going to be in the same grade. You are still good at math and science, right?”

“I am good in every subject. Math, Literature, Grammar, Chemistry. I am taking Trigonometry. Well, I was going to take in my old school. Daddy– he um . . . he– I took summer school this summer and I got ahead of my class in math.”

“Well, good. I suck at math. You can tutor me.”

“You’ll have to pay me.”

“In candy?” Richard asked her as he began to play with her hair.

“Snickers, Milky Way, or Chunky’s.” Anne laughed as she pushed herself away from him, making Richard take a stand of her hair and curl it on his index finger.

“I am so happy that you are here. Not happy with the circumstances. I honestly don’t know how I would made it without Mom or Dad? I cannot tell sometimes the difference of the shoes that I wear. Last week, Mom told me to get dress. She didn’t want to leave me alone in the house because she thinks that alike George I may be spending too much time online. The thing is that your uncle faxed your Father’s will and they were going to pick up the documents of the guardianship. The long story short is that I was wearing my polo shirt inside out. Mom was so embarrassed. She pulled my ear. I just want to say that I promise you that we will all love you and Itsy. You are already like my long lost sister.”

Anne pulled Richard into a hug so tight that made it hard for him to breath. He smiled against her shoulder. He had known Anne his whole life. Their parents went to boarding school together, they would sometimes see each other during the holidays and summers. They lived far. Anne used to live in California with her parents, and he really enjoyed the winters in there because there was no snow. It was warm and cozy.

As he continued to remember, Richard hadn’t realized that Anne was now crying against his shoulder. He honestly did not know what to do. He tried to hush her, like he would do to a baby, but it didn’t work.

“No,no,no,no,no!” Richard cried out loud, “Don’t cry. Please don’t. Oh God! I should have never said that. I am so sorry. I shouldn’t– you know that I have a big mouth! I don’t think. I speak and then I think. I– I don’t want you to cry . . . do you want to go for a walk? Do you want to finish your sandwich? There are more snickers. Here!”

Anne opened her mouth as Richard fed her the candy bar which she took a bite as he cleaned her tears.

“Do you want to go for a walk?”

Anne shook her head as she pushed Richard back to the headboard and rested her head on his chest.

“No.” She said with her breath uneven, “I want to stay inside.”

“Do you want to um . . . put your things in your room? You have many books.”

“You’ll do that for me, right? You will make sure my books, clothes, shoes and everything is settled, right? I do not feel–”

“Okay, I’ll do it. You don’t need to ask me again. I’ll do it for you. I promise, but I wont touch your underwear.”

That made Anne laugh.

“Anne?” Richard asked.

“What?”

“Can you like move? It is not easy for me to like eat and have your head on my chest. Unless you don’t mind getting breadcrumbs all over your shiny, dark blonde hair.”

“You are not going to eat now. You are going to hug me.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> let me know what you think


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